As school buses from six local districts landed at the Michigan Science Center, 575 fourth graders celebrated with applause, cheers and high fives. United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s annual STEMPossible Symposium – presented by Stellantis – is back after a year away.
“The last time I came here I was a baby, but this time I’ll remember it forever,” said Kevin, an 8-year-old student from Stevenson Elementary. “When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut or a scientist, because I love everything about space— even black holes, which are kind of creepy.”
This year’s STEMPossible “A Day in Space” theme was perfect for Kevin and his fellow explorers who experimented with rockets, virtual reality, circuits, building and programming. United Way’s generous sponsors not only funded the event but also volunteered at interactive science stations.
“The name of our booth is VRstronaut; the kids can explore the planets, read about them, rotate them and move them around,” said Aditya Srivastava, vice president, Head of Sales and Business Development at STG. “When they see something like this, that they have not experienced before, you can hear it in their voice and you can see it in their eyes— I think that’s totally worth it.”
STEMPossible is organized by Tech United, a group of chief information officers and IT professionals dedicated to closing the digital divide and bringing STEM opportunities to local students. The following sponsors made this event possible: Stellantis, Comerica, Ally, Verizon, Deloitte, Little Caesars, Alfa, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, BorgWarner, DTE, Envorso, Ford, GM, Nutanix, PTC, Rimini Street, Slalom, STG and RouteOne.
“At Stellantis, we are dedicated to strengthening our communities and inspiring the next generation of innovators and engineers who will shape the future of mobility,” said Eugene Nikolavsky, senior vice president, IT Global Sales and Marketing and Head of North America IT at Stellantis. “Our ongoing partnership with United Way on STEMPossible is a powerful way to invest in that future and help develop a diverse, talented pipeline for Michigan and beyond.”
Opening Doors and Closing Divides
STEMPossible brings many students, like Carlito, to the Science Center for the first time. Standing in Leonardo Da Vinci’s Machines in Motion exhibit, Carlito nodded enthusiastically when asked if the center was bigger than he expected.
“I loved the bubbles downstairs, and the tank over there,” said Carlito, a 10-year-old from Ann Visger Elementary, pointing to Leonardi Da Vinci’s fighting vehicle. “Math is my favorite subject because I like multiplication and division— I want to be a math teacher.”
Although Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) are foundational for successful futures, 36% of Michigan families report that their children don’t participate in any STEM learning. Households earning under $35,000 per year were most likely to indicate that their children do not participate in STEM opportunities.
“This is an awesome opportunity for students to see the Science Center for the first time, especially when their parents are working and cannot bring them,” said Gail Sanders, a paraprofessional at Ann Visger Elementary. “I do see most of the science in the classroom is on the board and students are watching, so to come here, the hands-on experience is great.”
Making Failure Fun
At DTE’s station, students had a blast crafting circuits with copper tape, batteries and multicolored lights. Rich Geyer, IT manager at DTE, noted the fun that STEMPossible brings to STEM.
“The kids are loving it so far; the circuits seem like magic to them,” said Rich Geyer, IT manager at DTE. “You hear about science and think, super boring, but you don’t realize it’s fun until you can really see that this is what we’re talking about.
“The students can do it today and then make a career out of this.”
Through scientific experimentation, students are learning that failure can be fun and is a necessary step on the path to success. At Ford’s rocket launching station, students experimented with the difference fins had on their straw rocket trajectories.
“I would say, ‘Don’t be afraid of failure,’” said Soroor Soltani, PhD, director of Global Campus LAN Services at Ford. “We all get it wrong the first time and that’s the beauty of it; science is not like other subjects that you learn by memorizing and then it’s gone.
“When you get it wrong in an experiment, you learn and you never forget it.”
Inspired to get STEM opportunities to local students? Learn more about Tech United at https://unitedwaysem.org/get-involved/give/affinity-groups/tech-united/, or consider supporting their mission at https://ignite.stratuslive.com/unitedwaysem/get-involved/donate/tech-united-donation-page.
